Eagler's Nest
Airframes => Single Seaters => XL => Topic started by: TezzaT on June 13, 2020, 03:36:55 PM
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Hi All.
Well after a six year build as time and monies allowed, have finally finished my XL Eagle XL-B-35. Just waiting on final sign off before test flight.
Rgds
Terry
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Nice work. :) Where's that thumbs up emoji?
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Looks great! Good work, congratulations!
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Congratulations on your build! Love the purple fuselage. It looks like you are using a 4-cylinder VW. What horsepower do you have? Did it give you any headaches getting the weight & balance set?
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Thanks for your complements. Yes, we are using a 1600cc VW engine. Surprisingly, the weight and balance worked out OK with in the designs figures. We were fully expecting a nose heavy A/C needing COG adjustment. We weighed the A/C four times. Empty no fuel: with 24Lr fuel [abt 5us gallons]and me sitting in the A/C at 190Lbs with empty and full fuel. Each time it stayed in balance OK through to "its" gross weight at 580Lbs. We are looking at at between 45 to 50Hp and Frank has built a prop to suit. Now for the truth of test flying Yea!!
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Nice looking Eagle. What covering did you use?
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The wing leading edges look very nice.
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Re cover: 1.8oz Dacron fabric from AC Spruce with one coat of sealer and two coats of silver acrylic house paint, all rolled on with 6" roller. Looks OK though.
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Did you put any false ribs in it?
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No, just cinched the ply down real tight when gluing. So far it has stayed nice and tight now for about three years whilst I worked on the fuselage. Fitted in four foot sections so I could make sure it was glued OK
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If you bond the wood in very dry conditions, it will have more tendency to wrinkle when it absorbs moisture in humid conditions.
Some wet the wood with paper towels on the outside (say over night) to insure the wood is as moist as it will ever be before attaching to the ribs. After the epoxy cures, and the wood dries out it will stay `tight as a snare drum`.
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Hi All.
Well after a six year build as time and monies allowed, have finally finished my XL Eagle XL-B-35. Just waiting on final sign off before test flight.
Rgds
Terry
Looks like you have two idler arma for your pushrod elevator. What is the reasoning behind that, if i might ask?
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Re: Elevator control rod, reason for two idlers was primarily for "stiffness" of this rather light tube, plus it made it easier to line up. First off, just had the one behind the seat, but, it soon became apparent that this rod would need further support, hence the second one near the tail. This system works really well. Not my idea though, copied from another builder off this site.
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I set up my elevator with the control rod as well with the idler near the tail. The control rod needs a slight upward bend behind the seat so when using it the rod would swing side to side a little and probably would flex more under load. Worked fine but seemed "sloppy" so I added a guide behind the seat. The control "rod" is WAY smoother then the cables I have set up for the rudder.
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The control "rod" is WAY smoother then the cables I have set up for the rudder.
The reason the rudder cables aren't smooth is you are asking way too much of the fairleads. For that much angular deflection, you need to use pulleys. If you look on page 15, it shows the rudder cable fairleads out toward the longerons.
Sec. 25.689 Cable systems. 2(c) Fairleads must be installed so that they do not cause a change in cable direction of more than three degrees.
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The reason the rudder cables aren't smooth is you are asking way too much of the fairleads. For that much angular deflection, you need to use pulleys. If you look on page 15, it shows the rudder cable fairleads out toward the longerons.
I may experiment with pulleys instead of that center fairlead although, I feel more drag on the fairleads above the front gear mounts. There's little drag at the center one. My goal was to keep more of the cables inside the fuselage.
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Nothing wrong with the control cables for the elevator. They must be kept tight however. Slack can allow flutter, especially in faster airplanes. If you have cables and feel a "buzz" in the stick, check for proper tension.
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There is a reason for "standard aircraft practice" for building or repairing aircraft. The Legal Eagle is *mostly* designed this way. The butt splice on the spars.. no.I would question that. At any rate, I would be very cautious about changing the design without serious consideration of "standard practices." They have been found to work for *many* years. For instance, the rudder cables are a quite effective saw, and will quickly put grooves in the fairleads. Can you get by with more than the specified 3 degrees? Sure. By how much? You are on your own, then.. ;)
I was aghast at some of the early ultralights. They were trying things that had been proven to not work in the 20s and before. Fortunately, those days are over.
Build it like the plans.. :))
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Hi All.
Well after a six year build as time and monies allowed, have finally finished my XL Eagle XL-B-35. Just waiting on final sign off before test flight.
Rgds
Terry
Yes Congratulation!
Sign off required? for N number? so not 103 compliant because of engine weight?
i clueless not glueless, hehe
ok You KiWi different rules there...
i wanting to use 4 cylinder, older 1200cc is lightest(smallest). maybe less output than the newer 2 cyl. lower torque for sure.
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Hi Theodore; No Pt 103 class here in NZ, just a class one [single seat] and class two [two seat] microlight aircraft to 600kg [1300lbs] gross weight whether it be a one or two seat. All aircraft required to be registered under our CAA regs. We built the XL as close to its drawings as possible. Would be a PT103 in the States. Note, if you are contemplating a four cylinder VW, then a 1600cc is very similar in weight to the 1200cc with quite a gain in power.
Rgds.
Terry
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What is weight of Engine? Hand prop? Did you beef up the tubing to 049?
I have rebuilt a 1200cc but it didnt survive the test stand. I only use OEM case and crank, no stroker here. dont need high performance with 4000 ft. runway.
I'd really like to convert the Type 4 for LEXL, two cylinder flywheel end drive. Maybe two cylinder front drive with Re-drive... Oops over weight again.
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Oops over weight again.
Theo,
Just do the paper work for EAB... The tax man cometh however once you are registered with FAA.
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I called FAA local authority here in Spokane, (no reply yet) Mostly Re: Piper J4 i have, The plane was built in 1941 and there has got to be some records on it, the PO gave me nothing, no logs just stories. The local EAA said "there's away" I was going to rebuild it and fly only on friends farm in Washtunca, 9000 acres outside of airspace.
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Re- the J4. If you have the N number, you can get a CD with every piece of paper the FAA has on it sent to you for $5.00 (IIRC).
https://aircraft.faa.gov/e.gov/nd/
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Thank you Dan & Don
I sold the J4 project, got exactly what i had into it. I could not find hanger space close by. A/C too heavy anyhow, needed 140 Lycoming
EAB = Experimental Amateur Built?
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EAB = Experimental Amateur Built?
Yup, I am fairly sure if you do that for/to a certified aircraft you can never put it back into certified category.
There was a guy doing that with Cessna 150s a while back to get them to qualify as a plane in the LSA category.